One and a half day of Christmas, and what happened before
by a-fan.de
Summary: Danny's family decides to come to Hawaii for Christmas. Danny likes the idea, but there's something he hasn't told them yet. This story has been written for the h50 holidayswap on lj.


"We're coming to Hawai'i! All of us!"

A slightly strangled "that's wonderful" was all Danny could get out in reply, then his mind started reeling. Having his family on the island – most of them for the first time – would be amazing. He had of course been back and forth to Jersey a few times since moving to the to Hawai'i, but he still missed them a lot. And as much as he hated to admit it, he had started thinking of this as his home lately. He loved the idea of showing it off to his parents, siblings and niece. He blamed his SEAL for that. His SEAL. That's when it hit him – his family didn't even know about his relationship with Steve yet...

"Daniel, are you even listening to me?" his mother interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Uhm..."

"I was just saying that we will let you know the exact dates as soon as we've got booking confirmation from the travel agency, but we'll definitely stay over Christmas, maybe even New Year's Eve, so you better make sure to let that boss of yours know that you're going to need some time off."

"Yeah, of course", Danny answered distractedly. "Listen, mum, I was right in the middle of preparing breakfast when you called. I think Gracie might start warming up yesterday's left over pizza if I don't present her with some pancakes soon. So, give dad my best, I'll call soon, ok?"

After they had ended their call, Danny started pondering. Christmas with his family on Hawai'i! He would still be missing the New Jersey winter (he did every year), but all the people he cared about would be there. It was a wonderful thought. But there had been changes in his life since his last visit to Jersey he hadn't told anyone about yet. Was he ready to tell his family about Steve? And would Steve want him to? They actually hadn't really talked about it yet. With Steve's only family being his sister Mary in California, and Danny's folks even further away it just hadn't been an issue. Of course their colleagues and close friends on the island knew. Not that they had made a big announcement or something. Chin had found out four months ago when he called Steve in the middle of the night for a case and instead of the SEAL a very sleepy Danny had answered the phone. There wasn't really a way to explain that away, and Danny wouldn't have wanted to anyway, he wanted his friends to know. Kono had just guessed it – she said she saw changes in the way Steve and he behaved. Danny still thought Chin might have tipped her off.

His blood relatives on the other hand... Danny wondered how making life choices your family might not necessarily approve of could make you feel so worried or even guilty. It was his life after all, and right now he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. And it really wasn't his fault (or anyone elses for that matter) that his heart skipped a beat every time he saw Steve or that there were butterflies the size of eagles in his stomach when the other man went shirtless (which could be a bit distracting when he did so on the job, Danny had to admit). Nope, it was just the way it was, nothing wrong about that. Still, coming out to his family, that idea was scary, and Danny hadn't thought about it for a long time. Not since that summer fling with Scott Bowers when he was 18. But when that had been over he had hooked up with a string of girls and had put the time with Scott down under "experiences". It had been fine, until of course a dark, tall, handsome SEAL had turned his life upside down.

Said SEAL was now appearing in the kitchen doorway. "Everything alright?" he asked his partner.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. It's just my mum with some family-related news."

Steve furrowed his brows.

"Nothing bad, babe, I promise." Danny hurried to calm him. "I'll tell you later."

Steve nodded his understanding and proceeded to prepare breakfast.

After dropping Grace off at her school the day turned out to be an almost typical one for the Five-0 task force, and included what Danny had started to call the 'SEAL iron-man contest': running, stunt-driving, jumping into the ocean, and of course firing a weapon. Not necessarily to be executed in that order.

It was almost 8 pm when they finally made it to Steve's house. Grace spent the night with her mother, so Danny decided it would be safe to talk. Of course Grace knew and approved of their relationship, but she was still a kid and Danny didn't want to burden her with grown-up problems.

"So...", he started, after Steve and he had made themselves comfortable on the couch. "My mum called this morning to let me know that my family will go on a vacation over Christmas."

"And you'd like to go with them and need the time off?" Steve asked, trailing a hand along Danny's arm.

"I **do** need the time off. But there won't be any travel plans involved. They're coming here. To Hawai'i..."

Steve's hand stopped moving. "And when you say 'they', you mean your parents, right?" he inquired, hesitating slightly as if already expecting that this wouldn't be the whole extend of it.

"Not really, no. From what mum said my siblings and their kids will also tag along. Seems they were disappointed that Grace and I didn't make it to Jersey the last 2 years and decided to take action. I wonder whose fault that was." He shot Steve an accusatory look.

"Hey, don't blame me, blame the bad guys. You know how they are: sinister intentions, but on the job 24/7, even during the holidays. An admirable work ethic, really." Steve laughed. "But seriously, I think it's great. I'd love to meet your folks, after all those stories I've been hearing about them." He stopped. "That is, if you want me to meet them?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I do, Dumbo." Danny shot him an exasperated look. They're my family, they should meet the man I love. I'm just a little cautious about coming out to them all at once. It might not be the Christmas surprise they were hoping for... And we didn't even talk about telling Mary yet. Who I'm sure will be a piece of cake, compared to the Williams clan..."

"Oh I don't know", Steve started to interrupt Danny.

"Aw, come on. You KNOW your sister's gonna be easy. Yes, she might be surprised to suddenly have a gay brother, but then she's not an Italo-American woman who's on first-name basis with her priest."

"Relax, Danny. She's your mum." He patted Danny's knee. "It won't be that bad. From what you told me, your family always sounded pretty great. I'm sure the worst thing that could happen is that they'll be in a bit of a shock, but once they get over it, they'll be fine." He smiled at his partner reassuringly. "You'll be fine, Danno."

The blonde Detective sighed. "God, I really hope so. You know, it's weird. I'm a grown man, for heaven's sake, I shouldn't be that scared of the people I love. It's my life – our lives – after all..." he leaned into Steve, resting his head against the SEAL's strong shoulder.

"Sh... it's ok. You know, for obvious reasons I'm not an expert on family, but I think that's probably how all people feel about their parents, especially if they're from a close-knit family. It's somewhat imprinted in you that you want them to be happy. But you know what? That's not your job. You have to live your life, and live it the way you deem right. You're not trying to intentionally hurt someone, you're a good man who cares for his family... it won't be your fault if someone has trouble accepting you the way you are." He planted a kiss on top of Danny's head. The couple kept sitting on the couch for a while, not really talking, just Steve holding Danny tight, trying to comfort him.

After a few minutes Danny looked up at Steve and spoke again. "I guess you're right. I should tell them. And probably tell them soon. First I can't expect Grace to keep this from her grandparents any longer, it hasn't been fair on her to begin with, and also, I wouldn't want to wreck havoc during the holidays. Which might happen if I wait for too long before telling them. I guess the family might need time to digest the news and go back to normal before they arrive."

"Sounds reasonable to me, Danno. Tell them now and give them a little time, and when they actually arrive on the island maybe the novelty of it all has worn off a little already." He smiled reassuringly.

Two days later Danny had mustered up the courage to make the call to his mother. Steve had asked him if Danny wanted him to stay while they talked, but the Detective had decided that he had to do this on his own. He dialled his parents' number and waited. Secretly he hoped that they wouldn't be at home. But his parents always were at home on Sunday evenings. A few seconds later his mum answered.

"Daniel, how wonderful! I was just saying to your dad that I wanted to call you, just to see how things are on Hawaii. How's my granddaughter?"

"Everything's fine mum, and Grace is ok. She's at Rachel's tonight, but Steve and I have plans to take her to a game of Steve's old High school football team on Wednesday."

"Football, and with your boss, too? Are you sure, Daniel?"

"Mom, it's alright. It's not the first time we've been to a game together, and Grace likes it. And she adores Steve."

"If you say so..."

"I do. Listen, mum, actually I'm calling to talk about something else."

" What is it, dear?"

"Uhm... you know, you telling me about your Christmas plans got me thinking. I thought I'd better tell you about something before you arrive, and..."

"...oh my god, don't say it! You've met someone, right? Daniel, that's wonderful! Why didn't you tell me before? Is it serious? It's about time you found someone new after Rachel. Oh, tell me all about her!" His mother babbled. Danny sighed inaudibly. He shifted the phone receiver from one hand to the other.

"Mom, please, would you listen for a moment?" he interrupted her.

"Sorry, Dear, I'm just terribly excited."

"I understand, but you might want to wait for a minute... " He took a deep breath. "Yes, I've met someone. Actually, we've know each other for a while, and it turned into something more a while back." He paused. "Mom... it's not... I've not met a woman. I'm together with Steve."

The silence seemed deafening. Danny said nothing, just waited for a reaction from his mother.

"Daniel...I. I don't know what... I mean, Steve? Your boss Steve?!"

"Yes, mum."

"I'm sorry, Daniel, I don't know what to say. I mean, how did this happen? You've had so many girlfriends. And Rachel, and Grace... I don't understand this." His mother now sounded upset. Not close to tears upset, which Danny saw as a good sign, but not calm and happy either. Although – he never had her expected to stay calm, hadn't he? "I'm sure it's a shock, and I'm sorry mum, but it just happened that way. I can't really explain it. I do understand if you need some time to think, but I hope you can accept it. Accept me."

"I... I'm sorry, Daniel, I don't think I can talk to you right now. I'll call you back." And just like that, she hung up.

Steve found Danny sitting on the sofa half an hour later. He took one look at the blonde's sunken form and knew things hadn't gone as well as he had hoped. He sat down next to his partner and tentatively put a hand on his forearm "Danno?"

Danny looked up, his red eyes being evidence of him having cried just a few minutes ago. "She hung up on me, Steve. Just like that. Said she needed time to think." Another tear threatened to make it's way to the surface.

"Oh Danny,... it's gonna be ok." Steve put a strong arm around Danny's waist and pulled him close. "We both knew there would be a chance that she might not take it too well immediately." He wiped away the tear with his thumb. Danny leaned in closer, resting his head on Steve's shoulder. "Did she say something else?" The SEAL asked. "Apart from ending the call, did she seem terribly upset?"

"No. That's what's getting to me. She didn't seem overly happy, but that wasn't something I expected anyway. I mean, she was confused, asking me about previous girlfriends, about Rachel... but before I could even start to talk to her about it, she hung up. Just said she'd call me back..."

"That's not too bad then." Steve sighed. "If she still wants to talk, I mean." he soothed. "She probably really just needs some time. And maybe speak to your dad? Did you talk to him at all?"

"I never made it that far. Mom took the call, and I thought I'd just start by telling her." He sighed heavily. "This is all such a mess." He clung to Steve's side, holding tight and not wanting to let go of the warmth and security of his partner.

The phone rang an hour later. Danny hesitated.

"Take it, Danny, it has to be a good sign that she actually calls back that fast." Steve smiled at him.

"Hello? ... Dad? Yes, I know..."

Steve couldn't hear the other side of the call, but from Danny's answers he had a pretty good idea what was going on. Thankfully Danny didn't seem too upset, and neither did his father. At least none of the Williams men was shouting, and given Danny's temper that had to be a good sign.

"I'm sorry dad, I didn't want to, but... I'm guessing mom told you... no. Yes. Yes, I am... thanks, Dad. Yeah, talk to you soon. Bye."

The whole exchange didn't last longer than a few minutes. When he finished the call, Danny breathed a sigh of relief. He still had a tear in his eye, but seemed to have relaxed visibly.

"That was my dad. After she hung up it seems mom broke into tears, and now she's locked herself in in their bedroom. She did tell dad though... and he seems to be ok. I'm not one hundred percent sure what to make of it, but he actually asked me if I was happy. When I told him I was", he carefully smiled at Steve, "that seemed to be enough for him. He thinks mom's gonna be alright, that she's just gonna need some time to come around..."

"See, I told you so" Steve pulled his partner into a hug. "You're feeling a little better?"

"Actually, yes I do. Not sunshine and daisies happy, but relieved." Danno smiled and pulled in for a kiss.

Telling Danny's brother and sister was surprisingly easy after this. His sister just wanted to know if he Steve was hot (which Danny enthusiastically affirmed), and his brother Matt just said, "so what else is new?" and continued to tell Danny about the latest deal he secured for his firm.

It was almost a week later when Cynthia Williams finally called back. Danny had become more and more edgy with each day gone by, and for a while, after Danny almost biting Chin's head off for ordering the wrong take-out lunch, Steve had actually considered calling Danny's mother and trying to talk some sense into her. That evening Steve and Danny were trying to relax on the couch with a movie Danny had chosen, when Danny's cellphone rang.

"Williams. ... Hi mom."

Steve smiled at him and left the room to give them some privacy.

"Danny," Cynthia Williams started hesitantly, "I would understand if you didn't want to talk to me after the way our last phone conversation went, but I had some time to think, and I really, really want to talk to you."

"Mom, no. I've wanted to talk to you the whole week, but I didn't think it would be any good until you were ready."

"Your father talked some sense into me yesterday, but I was still scared I might have broken something last week, and I wasn't sure how to fix it," she sniffed.

"Nothing's broken. A bit damaged, maybe, but that's how relationships go. There's bumps and dents, but most of them can be fixed. I won't say it hurt that you just hung up on me, especially considering that it took me a lot of courage to call you in the first place, but Steve and I talked a lot over this past week and he made me see how unexpected my coming out must have been to you. I mean, my past relationships didn't really give you any hint into that direction, did they?

"Yes, that's one thing I just can't let go... I mean, you've only ever been with women, Daniel. I just don't get how you could suddenly be with a man..."

Danny hesitated. "Mom... there's not just been women, you know? I mean, almost all of my relationships were, but there has been one guy before. I... I just didn't tell you back then. Hell, it was in '95, and when it was over even I thought that it probably only had been a phase. Well, turns out it wasn't." He shrugged. Cynthia Williams said nothing. "Mom? Please, don't go all quiet on me again, ok? Look, obviously you didn't know everything about my love life, but whose parents really do? I'm sure you didn't tell grandma everything."

"Oh God, no! She would have thrown me out of the house!"

Danny laughed. Wow, Mom! Is there something you should tell me? Or, thinking about it, please, don't tell me, I don't wanna know..."

When Danny followed Steve onto the lanai some 20 minutes later, he looked visibly relaxed. Steve looked up at him. "I take it that call went better than the last one?" He handed a beer over to his partner.

"It did. I really did." Danny took a mouthful of beer, then put the bottle down on the table. He sighed. "Seems mom had some time to think. I wouldn't say she's overjoyed, but she seemed much more accepting, asking questions about you, about us. She's still worried, I got that, but she seems to be coming around to the idea slowly. It did help that I told her that Grace already knows and it is fine by it."

"That's wonderful, babe. I'm really happy for you. Come here..." He dragged Danny down onto his lap, pulling him in for a long, deep kiss. Danny eagerly reciprocated, then went on to straddle Steve's legs, his hand slowly wandering from where it had rested on Steve's belly to the hem of his shirt, lifting it up and caressing his partner's chiselled body. Steve followed suit, opening the buttons on Danny's shirt and pushing the fabric aside to give way for a view of those marvellous strong shoulders and chest. Their groins touching, Steve could feel himself becoming hard immediately, and it was rather obvious through the fabric of his pants that Danny's body showed the same reaction.

Steve let out a deep, throaty moan. "Take this inside, Danny?"

"Yeah... wouldn't wanna shock... the neighbours", the Detective breathed heavily, already starting to pull Steve's shirt up and over his head.

Later they laid on the bed, exhausted but happy in each others arms. Steve was on his side, lazily drawing circles on Danny's chest with his fingers. He looked at his partner through his long lashes. "You know, I think I'll never get used to this."

"To what? Having sex with your incredibly hot partner?" Danno smiled sleepily.

"No. I mean, yes, that, too. God, you're reducing me brain to goo... no, what I meant was having the man I love next to me when I fall asleep and when I wake up. It's the best feeling in the world. I finally feel like I've got something to live for apart from my job. All thanks to you." He snuggled up closer to Danny, head resting against his shoulder and one arm draping across the blonde man's chest, and both were asleep minutes later.

Christmas arrived – as it does everywhere in the world for most people – quite unexpected. At least that's what it felt like for Danny as he tried desperately to finish some last-minute preparations which he insisted needed to be done before his family arrived. Steve and he had decided to take the family Christmas party to Steve's house. Danny would have offered his appartment, but the space there just wouldn't hold 8 people and a Christmas tree, and the only other option would have been to rent a space at a restaurant, which seemed awfully impersonal.

The Williams family was due to arrive the next afternoon, 6 people about to invade the island, to see how he lived, to invade every last bit of privacy, to judge every part of his life. Family.

Danny's parents and siblings had decided to stay on Oahu for a week, and then go off on a round-trip to see some of the other islands. His mother had been excited about going to Maui, while his dad already enthused about the possibility of seeing the volcanoes on the Big Island.

"Have you got the cranberry sauce?" Danny shouted towards Steve, who was rummaging around in the kitchen.

"Yep, all 3 glasses of it. That **should** be enough to feed your family and any number of passing strangers who might want to join us." Steve laughed.

"Do no mock me, Steven. You have no idea how much my family can eat. And I wouldn't want them to think we don't know how to throw a proper Christmas party. They'll be weirded out enough by all the sun and sand, and by it being..." he looked at the thermometer on the lanai, "...87° in mid-winter!"

"They'll be fine. And if they're anything like you and desperately hate it, well, then we'll just have to visit them over the holidays from now on. I haven't had a white Christmas in over 10 years, so I certainly wouldn't mind."

Danny came inside and stopped in the kitchen doorway. "You do know I don't really hate it any more, do you? I mean, I still prefer proper seasons that can be distinguished by something more than rain or no rain, but hate... no."

Steve smiled "Is that so?"

"It is. A strong dislike, maybe...", Danny mocked, which earned him a punch on the arm. "Ouch! Behave, McGarrett. If you put me in hospital you'll have to deal with all the Williams family on your own, without me trying to keep them all in line. It'll be Christmas hell."

"You don't break that easily, I think we extensively tested that last night." Steve laughed, giving Danny a slap on the butt before returning to unpack the shopping bags.

"Uncle Dannnyyyy!" his niece Alice squealed, running towards him at top speed. Danny reached down to pick the 6 year old up and swung her around.

"Hey peanut. Good to see you again. You excited about Christmas yet?"

The girl looked up at him again and nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, that's great, 'cause I especially wrote Santa to make sure he knows you're here and not in Jersey this year. We wouldn't want those presents of yours get delivered to the wrong address, would we? Now, where did you leave grandma and grandpa and your mom and dad? Or did you fly here all on your own?"

"No, uncle Danny!" she exclaimed. "They're over there." she pointed towards the small gathering of people in front of the Avis counter and waved at them. Danny walked them over and was greeted by choir of cheers and his siblings and in-laws coming at him at once for handshakes and hugs. Mattie slapped him on the shoulder, while his sister Angela asked "So where is that eye candy of yours you were talking about?"

Danny nervously looked over at his mother, who seemed a little too silent for Danny's liking, but smiled at him. "Hi Mom." He hugged her, before turning back to his sister. "Steve's at his house, he's doing some last minute Christmas preparations. I'm not sure it's a good idea to leave him in charge of anything food-related, but if all else fails and he ruins it we still might be able to get a delivery from Kamekona as a Christmas dinner substitute." he grinned.

An hour later all family members had received their respective rental cars and were on their way to the hotel. Steve had insisted though that Danny's parents would stay with Danny and him at his house, and so Danny was now driving down Kamehameha Highway with his mother riding shotgun and his father in the back seat. On the phone he had gotten the impression that his mom wasn't too thrilled about him already having moved in with Steve, but when he told her about the wonderful beach front house and how much Grace loved to spend time there, she seemed to have mellowed. "Daniel", his mother now started, "when will Grace be coming over? I hope she's not going to spend all of Christmas Day at Rachel's house, not while half of her family is visiting."

"Don't worry, Mom. Rachel and I agreed that she'll bring her over tomorrow morning, so she can spend Christmas Eve with us, and she's only going back on Christmas Day evening. Rachel wasn't too happy at first, but since she's planning on taking Grace to Britain over New Year's she didn't have much of a choice but to give me something at least." It wasn't a perfect arrangement, Danny thought, having his monkey half a world away over New Year's Eve, but if it meant he could have more than half of Christmas with his girl, who was he to say no. His dad picked up on his mood. "That's not too bad, son, right? Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Gracie? I'm sure it'll be wonderful." He patted his son on the shoulder from behind. "So, Steve... will he have any family coming over, too? Or do you plan on visiting them?"

"Steve doesn't have much family, dad. His sister's living in California, and I don't think she'll be coming. Their relationship is a bit... difficult. And both of his parents are dead. I think I told you that we met during the investigation of his father's murder?"

"Oh dear, yes, I remember," his mother interjected. "Well, that explains why he made you work all those last holidays. I mean, if he's got no one to celebrate with anyway..."

"Mother, please", Danny groaned. "It was hardly his fault. It's just the way police work is. You knew that from my time in Jersey PD already. And it's not as if he's not celebrating holidays. We usually ended up doing something with the team. It's been fun."

A few minutes later they pulled into the driveway.

"Oh", Williams senior commented. "That looks very nice."

"Wait until you've been inside and in the garden around the house, dad. Well, on the private beach, really. I wouldn't need it, but Steve basically can't live without jumping into the ocean at least once a day, and Gracie loves building sandcastles down there." He smiled. "Of course I still have my flat, and Grace and I do spend some time there, but it can't really compare to this house."

The front door opened and Steve came out, walking over to the car. "Mr and Mrs. Williams, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Danny's told me so much about you. Welcome to Hawai'i."

Danny stifled a laugh. Steve was really trying to make as best a first impression as possible. He had even traded in his board shorts from earlier for some clean cargo pants. You couldn't expect the man to dress up any more, really.

"Thank you, Commander. Please, call me Cynthia", Danny's mother replied and held out her hand for Steve to shake. Not the warm Italian greeting Danny had hoped her to give, but not too bad of a start. Things could always get better once she got to know Steve. His dad on the other hand immediately pulled the tall SEAL into a hug, evidently surprising him with the action, because it took Steve more than a few seconds to reciprocate.

"Good to meet you, too, Commander. But call me Fred, please."

"I will. And it's Steve. Please, come inside. Danny and I will get your bags."

Steve had prepared his old bedroom as a guest room a while back, after he had overcome his inhibitions and had taken over his father's bedroom. In a short while they had the Williams' settled into their room and moved outside into the back garden, where Danny had started to prepare a dinner table.

Steve and Danny's father immediately started a conversation, and Danny was relieved to see them both get along fine. Currently his dad seemed to tell stories of his father, who had spent a few year in the US Army. Cynthia watched the two men closely, not taking part in the conversation much, but she looked comfortable enough in her deck chair, drinking a cocktail Steve had offered her earlier. All things considered, Danny was happy. Things were looking up again.

Late that evening Danny and Steve were lying in bed, talking about the day gone by and what was coming up over Christmas. As it turned out, the evening had progressed nicely, with Danny's mother warming to Steve more and more with every minute. Danny had to admit that his partner was scarily good at charming people if he wanted to. He had started to suspect that Steve's time in Naval Intelligence might actually have included proper spy training. Once he started entertaining Cynthia Williams with Christmas stories from his childhood, there was no going back, his mom was falling for the SEAL head over heels. In a motherly sort of way. At least that's what Danny was hoping...

"I'm glad mom finally came to her senses", Danny mumbled. "She really seems to like you, you know."

"Hm... and I have to say, I like her. Once we got talking... did she ever tell you the story of your father visiting your landlord to pay the rent on Christmas Eve, but instead of your dad just paying and then getting home the guy got him stupidly drunk?" Steve grinned.

"Oh God, yes... that story has gone down into family legend. I'm not sure how that didn't end my parents' marriage for good. dad once said he didn't just see double that night, but was convinced there were actually 5 Christmas trees in our living room. He passed out on the couch at 8pm and mom had to do all Santa duties for the kids on her own, packing parcels until 4am. We were only little though, so we never really noticed." He chuckled, then settled into a comfortable silence, which Steve broke a short while later.

"So when's Rachel gonna bring Grace over tomorrow?" Steve asked.

"She said she would come by right after breakfast, which should give us enough time for the trip to Diamond Head with my family."

"Sounds good to me. I asked a friend from the Park Services to give us a bit of a tour, if that's alright with you?"

"A friend from Park Services? I sincerely hope he does not have a past as a Navy SEAL and will drag us through the most remote areas of the park? My parents wouldn't do all that well at rock climbing, you know."

"You really think I would do that?"

"Is that a rhetorical question, McGarrett? Because that's exactly the thing you would do. Just thinking of the knife-throwing lessons you wanted to give Grace's Aloha Girls..."

"Hey, the girls seemed happy enough! But to come back to your question: no, Akamu has not been a SEAL. At least not that I know of. He's an old friend of my father's and has worked for the Park Services as long as I can remember. I've been on a few tours with him myself as a kid. It's always been fun." He noticed Danny's sceptical look and hastily added: "In a completely harmless, family-friendly way, of course."

To Danny's surprise that was exactly what they got: a family-friendly excursion on Diamond Head, with Akamu giving them a glimpse into his detailed knowledge of the Hawaiian flora and fauna. No criminals, no danger of being eaten by sharks, just his family and a surprisingly relaxing walk through the park. At one point he even started holding Steve's hand, which earned him a surprised look from the taller man, a childish giggle from his siblings, and a happy sigh and a cuddle from his daughter. Bliss.

Later that night, when Grace had gone to bed and his siblings had returned to their hotel, Danny, Steve, and Fred and Cynthia Williams busied themselves with the last finishing touches to the houses Christmas decorations and wrapping presents. Danny had gotten Grace some books he hoped she might like, plus, since lately she's shown an interest in taking pictures, a digital camera. Chin had helped him in picking one that delivered good quality pictures, seemed easy to handle, and was water-proof and robust enough to withstand the adventures an 11 year-old girl might undertake. And it had to be a pink one of course. Somehow the pink phase seemed to be inevitable for little girls. He knew Rachel and Stan were going to redecorate her room as part of her Christmas gift, and that there also would be a **lot** of that dreaded colour involved.

The Williams siblings had agreed on only giving each other 'small stuff', so after talking to his father about the details of their trip earlier that month, Danny and Steve had decided to book both of them into a kayak tour for when they were going to be on Maui the next week.

Of course the presents for Danny's parents were securely wrapped already before they had arrived, and both Steve and Danny had no idea of what the respective other man had gotten to give his partner.

"Danno! Wake up! Danno, Steve, come on! It's Christmas Day!" Grace squealed excitedly, walking into the men's bedroom and jumping onto the bed next to her dad. Danny groaned.

"It can't be. I've only just gone to bed five minutes ago."

Grace giggled. "Come on, Danno, grandma's making pancakes and I want to open my presents."

"Presents? I don't know anything about any presents. I think Steve and I want to sleep in for a little longer." He staged a yawn.

"Daannooo..." Grace started tugging at his blanket, effectively robbing Danny of it's cosiness.

"Steve, help me, I'm getting attacked!" Danny groaned sleepily, trying to steal at least a corner of his partner's blanket, without success, because Steve held onto it with a firm grip.

"No way, this one's mine. Also Grace is right, it's definitely time to get up. No grown-up should sleep past 7 am on Christmas Day when there's an excited young girl in the house." He added, whispering into Danny's ear: "And even less so if said grown-up's parents are in the house and might walk in on him and his very under dressed partner any minute."

Danny's eyes shot open. Steve and he didn't sleep in the nude, but for the time being he had no desire of his mom or dad walking in on him and Steve, in bed, and only wearing boxer briefs.

When he walked into the kitchen 15 minutes later, the smell of pancakes filled the air. "Morning Mom. Dad. Oh wow, are those macadamia nut pancakes I'm smelling?"

"Exactly those. I thought Grace and you might enjoy a bit of our family Christmas traditions. And we could introduce them to Steve along the way. If he doesn't have other plans, that is."

'He' strolled into the kitchen at that exact same moment. "What am I hearing about Christmas traditions and plans? And why am I involved? Morning, Cynthia. Hi, Fred." he greeted the Williams'.

"You're about to be exposed to some Williams family traditions, starting with mom's delicious macadamia nut pancakes for breakfast." Danny said.

"Danno, can I open a present first?" Grace begged.

"No, monkey, you know how this works. Breakfast first, then cleaning up the kitchen, and **then** you get to open a present. Only one though, the rest will have to wait until uncle Matt and aunt Angela arrive."

The young girl sighed audibly. "I know... but that's still sooo long to go."

"I tell you what," Steve pulled her close. "If you eat your breakfast now, I promise to take you swimming after you opened your present. What do you think?"

"Yaaayyyy!"

Danny hadn't really overcome his dislike for the ocean, even though he now occasionally went surfing with Steve. What had changed though over the last months was his readiness to let his daughter go into the water if she wanted to. At least when Steve was there to go with her, because for all his mocking of his time in the Army slash Navy Danny knew Steve was an excellent swimmer and would do everything to keep Grace safe. And Grace seemed to love every minute of it, sometimes when she was at Steve's house they were barely able to get her out of the ocean.

That was why Danny had even reluctantly agreed to let Steve give her a surfboard for Christmas, and Kono had immediately offered to give her lessons.

The morning on the beach just flew by. Steve and Grace spent half the time in the water, with Steve teaching her crawl stroke one minute and playing with a beach ball the next.

Danny joined them for an improvised game of sharks and minnows, which not surprisingly ended by Danny being tagged as a shark in **every** round. It was almost as if his partner and daughter had conspired against him. But surely they wouldn't do that, would they? Danny rolled his eyes.

When Danny's siblings arrived, they took the Christmas party inside again. 6 year old Alice couldn't wait to open her presents, but also was super nervous, because despite Danny's assurances at the airport the day before she still wasn't completely convinced that Santa had really gotten the right address to deliver her parcels. Her mother blamed her husband Michael's constant teasing about the reindeer not having enough strength to pull the sleigh out over the ocean or Santa maybe not having read the letter uncle Danny wrote him on her behalf. Unfortunately sometimes he just didn't know when to stop, so the little girl was now visibly upset and close to tears at the idea of not getting any presents.

"Hey, come here, pumpkin." Danny knelt down and hugged her. "You know, your daddy's only making fun of you. Come on, I'm sure I saw quite a few presents under the tree already that have your name on it." He shot Michael a look and an eye roll, then took the little girl's hand and led her into the living room. Her eyes immediately lit up, and a huuuge smile plastered her face at the sight of the large Christmas tree decorated with lights, baubles, and chocolate rings, the latter one something Steve had brought in as the one McGarrett family tradition he still held on to, and the huge pile of presents lying under and around it.

Grace had already claimed her favourite spot on the couch and was immersed in the book she had unwrapped that morning, "Inkheart". The book store clerk had recommended it to Danny, assuring him that it had gotten rave reviews from readers and that a kid blessed with imagination would love it. He seemed to have been right, considering there was a huge pile of presents almost right in front of Grace and she didn't even give it a second glance.

"Ok", Steve announced. "As this is the first non-Jersey Christmas for most of you, here's what we have planned for today: we do have a small bird for Christmas dinner tonight, but considering we're only 7 and two half people...", he grinned at Grace's outraged outcry of "I'm not a half person!"... "Danny and I thought a turkey might be a bit much for us, even a small one. Instead there's going to be a goose, with all the usual trimmings and stuff, but also some traditional Hawaiian dishes. And don't worry", he glanced at Danny, "not all of them are pineapple-based." This earned him laughs from the family. "And since it's way to wonderful to stay inside all day" – more cheers from the family, apparently not all Williams' shared Danny's dislike of warmth and sunshine – "we're going do have said dinner outside on the lanai. Which", he added after a few confused looks, "is the veranda. So now: welcome to Hawai'i and our home, and Mele Kalikimaka. Merry Christmas."

"And now: time for presents!" Danny added, which earned him a loud cheer from the kids.

The whole family was soon immersed in giving out and unwrapping presents, and carefully examining what each one of them had gotten, oh-ing and ah-ing along the way. Danny's parents had gotten him a new pair of board shorts, and to Danny's relief they were plain black, and none of those comic ones his dad usually preferred. Gracie's eyes went bigger and bigger with each parcel she opened, with more books, a game of Twister and a CD of her new favourite artist piling up next to her on the couch. When she opened the parcel containing the camera, she squealed with joy, a sound that made Danny's heart skip a few beats. She immediately started snapping pictures of all the family, directing them to take this or that position or to 'say cheeeeese'.

Danny had found it tough to find the right present for Steve. As much as he was joking about getting him a 'Guns and Ammunition' subscription, or just buying him some new flip-flops, that wasn't what he wanted for their first Christmas as a couple. He had thought of giving Steve a scale model of one of the ships he had served on, one that could go into his office next to the ones he already owned, but after checking the prices in the Navy store, that plan was laid to rest quickly, that wasn't an option as long as he was on government salary.

In the end he had found something that he was pretty sure was perfect for Steve: a beautiful cherry wood keepsake box, with the US Navy logo on top and gorgeous green velvet lining. Steve didn't own a lot of jewellery, but the things he did have he mostly just stored in the top drawer of his bed stand. It was about time that changed.

He carefully watched as Steve unwrapped his gift. "Danny, wow! This is beautiful!" the SEAL beamed, his hands roaming over the dark polished wood. "Thank you so much!" He looked at Danny lovingly. "Thank you." he whispered.

The moment was broken, and the two men broke into giggles when Alice decided to put her new cassette player to the test, blasting the room with the sound of her Christmas music sing-along.

"Hey Gracie", Steve called her. "I think there might be something else for you here. I saw something Santa", he looked over at Alice, then winked at Grace, who was of course too old to still believe in Santa, "had left you outside. I put it into the garage for safekeeping. But maybe we better go and take a look?"

Grace looked up at him, amazed. "There's more?"

"Yup. Come on, let's take a look."

He couldn't have chosen a more perfect present if he had tried. As soon as Grace discovered her surfboard, her jaw dropped and she was lost for words. Something that didn't happen very often in the Williams family. Then she started jumping up and down, hugging first Steve, then Danny, then Steve again.

"That is so awesome! Thank you so much Steve! But you gotta have to show me how to do this right? Pleeeease?"

"Nope, can't do that." Steve answered earnestly. "Danno wouldn't allow it."

Grace stood still. "But Danno..." she began, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Not a chance, Grace Williams. I don't want this madman teaching you. You might end up breaking your neck."

"Hey, I'm not that bad. I'll have you know that I **am** a very good surfer, and a very responsible person." At the last point of that statement even Grace snorted.

"You", Danny pointed at Steve, "might be very good. But I want my monkey be taught by the best. And therefore", he looked back at Grace, "Kono is going to give you lessons."

The two men thought their eardrums might get shattered by the happy scream Grace let out next. Even Danny's parents, who had stayed in the living room, claimed that it had been very loud indeed.

"Mission accomplished", Steve whispered into Danny's ear, when a very happy Grace carried her new board out of the garage and onto the beach. With the family out of sight, Danny leaned in for a deep, longing kiss. "Yep, missions accomplished. All Williams family members accounted for and happy with their new presents."

"Not all of them, I think. There's someone who hasn't gotten a lot of stuff to unwrap so far." He looked Danny deep in the eyes.

"Well, if you're talking about me... I could think of a thing or two to unwrap right now."

Steve gave Danny a lopsided grin. "Well, as much as I would love that, I don't think it would be a great idea, with your family just a doors away."

"Then stop teasing, super SEAL", Danny admonished and caught Steve's hand, which had been running slowly up and down his side.

"Can't help it, with such a gorgeous man in front of me", said SEAL responded. "But, if you insist, let's go back to more ordinary gifts." Steve smiled, and took a small parcel out of his pocket, wrapped in simple gold coloured paper with a red bow on top. Danny looked at him, speechless, shock evident in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Danno, it's not what you think it might be. That would be a little early in our relationship, don't you think? But I hope you'll like it nevertheless." Steve smiled. "Come on, open it."

Danny opened the paper with slightly unsteady fingers. It wasn't a ring, he got that from Steve's remark, but it looked like a jewellery box nonetheless. Deep breath, Williams, he admonished himself. It's likely cuff links or something. He carefully opened the box, finding a key inside. He looked at Steve quizzically. The taller man shrugged.

"I'm afraid it's not a **real** present, at least not one that can be bought at the next store... but well, I thought, you do live here most of the time anyway, and now that you parents know about us, and Gracie loves it here, and... sorry, I'm starting to ramble a bit, but that's a first for me, too." He took a deep breath. "It's the door key to the house. Danny, do you want to move in with me?"

Danny's answer came in a deep, longing kiss, as he threw himself at his partner. "Yes. Oh God, yes, of course, babe", he breathed when they broke apart, before going in for another kiss. Then mischief entered his expression, one hand cupping Steve's face, the other one lying lightly on his chest, wandering down slowly. "Say, that key of yours, does it close the door between the house and the garage as well?"

"I think it does, Detective Williams."

"And do you think we would be missed if we didn't return for a few minutes?"

"With Grace showing off her new board and Alice entertaining everyone with her rendition of 'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer'? I doubt it. Why? Anything on your mind?" Steve grabbed Danny's buttocks, eliciting a moan from the other man.

"Hm, Commander, I could think of a thing or two. Something about unwrapping more gifts..."

THE END


End file.
